The Cerritos College volleyball team may have lost three of their four matches at the San Diego Mesa Tournament over the weekend, but two of those losses went five sets. The Falcons (2-4) opened the tournament with a 25-21, 25-12, 25-15 loss at the hands of the host Olympians, before they extended Palomar College to five games before losing, 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 17-25, 12-15. The next day started with a five-set match against Hartnell (23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16, 9-15) and then finished off San Bernardino Valley College, 26-24, 25-15, 24-26, 25-20. The team will travel to Allan Hancock College this Saturday to face the host Bulldogs at 11:00 a.m. before a 1:00 p.m. contest against College of the Desert.
In the win over SBVC, freshman Jasmynne Roberts (Long Beach Poly HS) led the team with 14 kills and 22 digs, while the duo of freshman Valerie Montoya (La Mirada HS) and Sara Hickman (La Mirada HS) added eight and seven kills, respectively. Freshman Brianna Gutierrez (St. Matthias HS) was solid at the net with five blocks and four kills, with the duo of freshmen Michelle Barba (Downey HS) and Crissy Silavong (Katella HS) combining for 35 assists.
Freshman Amanda Payne (Orange Lutheran HS), who sat out the San Bernardino Valley match, recorded 14 kills and eight digs against Hartnell, with sophomore Chelsea James (La Mirada HS) adding 10 kills and two blocks. Roberts (11 kills, 20 digs), Montoya (nine kills) and Hickman (four kills, three blocks) also played well, with Barba accounting for 12 assists and eight digs in the loss. Sophomore Ashley Castro (Santa Fe HS) posted 19 digs from the back row.
On the first day against Palomar, Roberts (16 kills, 28 digs), Montoya (14 kills) and Payne (10 kills, 33 digs) were affective in various capacities, with Castro posting a career-high 54 digs, along with three service aces. Silavong and Barba combined for 44 assists, as the team won the first two games and were on the verge of a sweep before the Comets stormed back for the win. Hickman opened the tournament with seven kills in the loss to SD Mesa, while Payne had five, with Castro posting 20 digs.